How we manage our autoimmune disease, determines our ability to enjoy life.

A cold goes away. An autoimmune disease is a chronic and an unshakeable presence that accompanies us for the rest of our life. How we manage our autoimmune disease determines our ability to enjoy life.

Managing stress is paramount to controlling a flare-up of an autoimmune disease. We have to learn to say enough, walk away and to let go.

Sunrises evoke emotions

There’s something powerful and emotive about a sunrise and a sunset. As the beauty unfolds, the stillness in the air wraps around us, evoking emotions deep within our soul. Likewise, when we face something that touches our life, we can’t help but feel a surge of overwhelming emotions.

We are human; we feel. What is it to feel?

Feeling emotions

It is when the emotions of anger, sadness, hurt, admiration, love etc cause the heart to squeeze, the pulse to race, the lump in your throat, the sting of tears, the pounding headache, the grinding teeth, the burst of energy.

Intense emotions trigger intense feelings, and intense feelings trigger an avalanche of stress hormones. Quick bursts of these hormones allow the body to cope with the stress, but continuous high levels of stress hormones cause disease and impact on our mental wellbeing.

Imagine taking a chain and pulling it till it breaks. The pressure on the link, is the pressure of life, or the irritation of a situation. The reason for that pressure varies. It could be from chasing success, not being able to say no, thinking that work can’t cope without you, abuse, or constant worry.

Chain breaking

Every person’s life is unique, and so are their stressors. Your brain sends help to the hands by releasing stress hormones to give you a burst of strength. The moment the link snaps, we realise we have an enormous problem and seek help to fix it. That is when we get diagnosed with autoimmune.

If we stopped pulling the chain, we could have prevented it from breaking. Similarly, had we sought help at the onset of symptoms and made lifestyle changes, we could have potentially stopped the onset of our autoimmune disease. But we didn’t and we now sit with a broken chain; an autoimmune disease.

Stopping to pause and reflect

Nature’s cycle of day and night teaches us that there is a brief window, like a metaphorical sunrise and sunset, for reflecting and processing negative emotions. Amidst the turmoil, we must carry on with life and remain productive. We don’t stop in the middle of the day to marvel at the white fireball above us and ponder on life. During the day, our minds are actively busy with the tasks at hand.

In the early morning or at the close of each day, when solitude surrounds us, it is essential to allocate time to reflect on the day. Bit by bit, we should try to identify and release the stressors. What we can’t release, we should leave and revisit tomorrow. No day has a continuous sunrise and sunset, and likewise, we should not continuously dwell on the pressures of the day. If we can’t sleep at night, constantly thinking about the situation, we are not handling our stress.

Breaking under stress

Stress management is detrimental to preventing flare-ups. Identifying stressors is important, because if you don’t, you won’t let go of them and your body will continue to release stress hormones to help you cope. Life presents us with toxic people and situations all the time. You are the captain of your own ship. Take control and say this situation or this person is causing me stress, and if you can’t resolve it, walk away.

While we may feel like revisiting our grief, anger, or hurt all day, it is important to

acknowledge that dwelling in constant negativity or being consumed by overpowering emotions is harmful to our physical and mental health. Instead, we must strive to find moments of solace and rejuvenation, just as the sunrise and sunset offer us a brief respite from the chaos of the day. Embracing this wisdom, we can navigate through life’s challenges, control our stress levels, and live a full life with an autoimmune disease.